1. Field of the Invention
One or more embodiments of the invention are related to the field of knives. More particularly, but not by way of limitation, embodiments of the invention implement a survival knife with integrated moveable guard that may move from a first position that provides a guard for the blade to a second position that provides half of the handle portion of the knife Embodiments may be constructed from materials that can withstand hostile environments.
2. Description of the Related Art
Standard knives generally include a long, yet thin blade with a handle. The blade generally includes one cutting edge, and an opposing non-cutting edge. Some knives have cutting edges on both sides of the blade. Knives also are built in folding varieties and generally have a pivot on one or both ends of the handle. However, most knives are non-folding and have one cutting edge. Folding knives are generally more portable and tend to enclose the sharp cutting edge of the knife when folded for safety reasons. Some folding knives include multiple types of blades including saws, can openers, screw drivers, and other tools, but generally only provide one function per blade or only provide cutting blades that have no other function.
Modern survival knives are limited in the number of functions they provide since the number of elements utilized to create a survival knife is limited to a blade, optionally with serrations and a handle. There are no known survival knives that include a single robust blade for example a wide blade that may be struck from above and utilized as a wedge to split wood, etc., with structural elements on the single blade, or coupled to the blade, including an integrated moveable guard, and that may also include integrated tools, such as a hex nut driver and lashing points.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,325,312 to Janich, entitled “Folding Knife With Pivoting Blade and Guard”, appears to disclose a folding knife with a handle, pivoting blade guard and a pivot blade, wherein the guard and blade pivot are secured to or within a handle. Janich also appears to disclose a tang pin that serves as a stop for the handle and the guard to limit a range of rotation. Janich, however, appears to lack any disclosure of a body coupled with the blade that forms a first half of a handle to engage a palm of a user, and a guard that covers a cutting edge in a first position and forms a second half of the handle to engage fingers of the user in a second position on an opposing side of the first half of the handle. In addition, Janich appears to lack any disclosure of a survival knife with an integrated tool including, for example, one or more of a carabiner and a wrench tool to enable rotation of multiple sizes of nuts.
US Publication 20070283575 to Hix et al., entitled “Pull-Type, Handle-Held Package Opened With Pivoting Blade Guard”, appears to disclose a hand-held pull-cut tool for opening over-packaging enclosures that may encapsulate smaller products, using a pivoting blade guard to remove such enclosures. Hix et al., however, appears to lack any disclosure of a body coupled with the blade that forms a first half of a handle to engage a palm of a user, and a guard that covers a cutting edge in a first position and forms a second half of the handle to engage fingers of the user in a second position on an opposing side of the first half of the handle. In addition, Hix et al. appears to lack any disclosure of a survival knife with an integrated tool including, for example, one or more of a carabiner and a wrench tool to enable rotation of multiple sizes of nuts. For example, US Publication 20130185943 to Landwehr, entitled “Hand Cutter With Blade Guard”, appears to disclose a hand cutter with a blade guard that provides protection from accidental cutting and may be activated from a locked position by a trigger, by closing around a cutter handle. Landwehr also appears to disclose wherein the release blade guard remains released until the blade has been used, and the blade guard release is removed such that the guard is automatically relocked when the guard returns to an original position. Landwehr, however, appears to lack any disclosure of a body coupled with the blade that forms a first half of a handle to engage a palm of a user, and a guard that covers a cutting edge in a first position and forms a second half of the handle to engage fingers of the user in a second position on an opposing side of the first half of the handle. In addition, Landwehr appears to lack any disclosure of a survival knife with an integrated tool including, for example, one or more of a carabiner and a wrench tool to enable rotation of multiple sizes of nuts.
Generally, survivalists and military personnel in hostile or hazardous environment carry a multitude of other tools along with a survival knife, generally in a sheath or in a folding format. In minimalistic survival scenarios, carrying a multitude of tools is not possible. In such hostile environments, life may depend on having a survival tool such as a knife that is robust and capable of performing other functions. For at least the limitations described above there is a need for a survival knife with integrated moveable guard.